U.S. patent application number 16/855113 was filed with the patent office on 2021-10-28 for systems and methods to perform track and balance for rotorcrafts.
This patent application is currently assigned to Honeywell International s.r.o.. The applicant listed for this patent is Honeywell International Inc.. Invention is credited to Pavel Badin, Michal Dobes, Patrik Moravek.
Application Number | 20210331788 16/855113 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004810179 |
Filed Date | 2021-10-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210331788 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Moravek; Patrik ; et
al. |
October 28, 2021 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO PERFORM TRACK AND BALANCE FOR
ROTORCRAFTS
Abstract
According to certain aspects of the disclosure, a
computer-implemented method may be used for rotorcraft track and
balance. The method may include capturing one or more images of at
least one rotating blades of a rotorcraft and analyzing the one or
more images of the at least one rotating blades to determine blade
information. Additionally, the method may include determining a
location of the at least one rotating blades in the one or more
images based on the blade information and calculating blade
position information based on the determined location of the at
least one rotating blade and a parameter of a user device capturing
the one or more images. Additionally, the method may include
displaying the blade position information to the user device and
displaying instructions on one or more adjustments to the at least
one rotating blades of the rotorcraft based on the blade position
information.
Inventors: |
Moravek; Patrik; (Brno,
CR) ; Badin; Pavel; (Dolni Kounice, CR) ;
Dobes; Michal; (Olomouc, CR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Honeywell International Inc. |
Morris Plains |
NJ |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Honeywell International
s.r.o.
|
Family ID: |
1000004810179 |
Appl. No.: |
16/855113 |
Filed: |
April 22, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B64D 47/08 20130101;
B64C 27/008 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B64C 27/00 20060101
B64C027/00; B64D 47/08 20060101 B64D047/08 |
Goverment Interests
GOVERNMENT CONTRACT
[0001] The project leading to this application has received funding
from the Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking under the European Union's
Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant
agreement No 807081.
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for rotorcraft track and balance,
the method comprising: capturing, by one or more processors, one or
more images of at least one rotating blades of a rotorcraft;
analyzing, by the one or more processors, the one or more images of
the at least one rotating blades of the rotorcraft to determine
blade information; determining, by the one or more processors, a
location of the at least one rotating blades in the one or more
images based on the blade information; calculating, by the one or
more processors, blade position information based on the determined
location of the at least one rotating blade and a parameter of a
user device capturing the one or more images; displaying, by the
one or more processors, the blade position information to the user
device; and displaying, by the one or more processors, instructions
on one or more adjustments to the at least one rotating blades of
the rotorcraft based on the blade position information.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user
device is positioned inside or outside of the rotorcraft.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the
parameter of the user device include at least one of, a number of
cameras, a location of the user device, an image resolution of the
user device, pixel size of the user device, and/or a focal length
of the user device.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein calculating
the blade position information further comprises calculating at
least one of, a horizontal and vertical angles of the blade to the
central optical axis of the user device, blade angular information,
a relative vertical distance of the rotor blades, and an absolute
height of the blades.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein calculating
the horizontal and vertical angles of the blade to the central
optical axis of the user device further comprising: determining, by
the one or more processors, a height of the blade based on the
calculated horizontal and vertical angles of the blade.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein calculating
blade position information further comprises receiving, by the one
or more processors, data from one or more sensors located on the
rotorcraft.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining
the location of the at least one rotating blades further comprises
identifying a marker placed on the at least one rotating
blades.
8. A computer-implemented system for rotorcraft track and balance,
the computer-implemented system comprising: a memory having
processor-readable instructions stored therein; and at least one
processor configured to access the memory and execute the
processor-readable instructions, which when executed by the
processor configures the processor to perform a plurality of
functions, including functions for: capture one or more images of
at least one rotating blades of a rotorcraft; analyze the one or
more images of the at least one rotating blades of the rotorcraft
to determine blade information; determine a location of the at
least one rotating blades in the one or more images based on the
blade information; calculate blade position information based on
the determined location of the at least one rotating blade and a
parameter of a user device capturing the one or more images;
display the blade position information to the user device; and
display instructions on one or more adjustments to the at least one
rotating blades of the rotorcraft based on the blade position
information.
9. The computer-implemented system of claim 8, wherein the user
device is positioned inside or outside of the rotorcraft.
10. The computer-implemented system of claim 8, wherein the
parameter of the user device include at least one of, a number of
cameras, a location of the user device, an image resolution of the
user device, pixel size of the user device, and/or a focal length
of the user device.
11. The computer-implemented system of claim 8, wherein the
function of calculate the blade position information further
comprises calculating at least one of, a horizontal and vertical
angles of the blade to the central optical axis of the user device,
blade angular information, a relative vertical distance of the
rotor blades, and an absolute height of the blades.
12. The computer-implemented system of claim 11, wherein
calculating the horizontal and vertical angles of the blade to the
central optical axis of the user device further comprise: determine
a height of the blade based on the calculated horizontal and
vertical angles of the blade.
13. The computer-implemented system of claim 8, wherein the
function of calculate blade position information further comprises
receive data from one or more sensors located on the
rotorcraft.
14. The computer-implemented system of claim 8, wherein the
function of determine the location of the at least one rotating
blades further comprises identify a marker placed on the at least
one rotating blades.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing
instructions for rotorcraft track and balance, comprising:
capturing, by one or more processors, one or more images of at
least one rotating blades of a rotorcraft; analyzing, by the one or
more processors, the one or more images of the at least one
rotating blades of the rotorcraft to determine blade information;
determining, by the one or more processors, a location of the at
least one rotating blades in the one or more images based on the
blade information; calculating, by the one or more processors,
blade position information based on the determined location of the
at least one rotating blade and a parameter of a user device
capturing the one or more images; displaying, by the one or more
processors, the blade position information to the user device; and
displaying, by the one or more processors, instructions on one or
more adjustments to the at least one rotating blades of the
rotorcraft based on the blade position information.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15,
wherein the user device is positioned inside or outside of the
rotorcraft.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15,
wherein the parameter of the user device include at least one of, a
number of cameras, a location of the user device, an image
resolution of the user device, pixel size of the user device,
and/or a focal length of the user device.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15,
wherein calculating the blade position information further
comprises calculating at least one of, a horizontal and vertical
angles of the blade to the central optical axis of the user device,
a blade position information, a relative vertical distance of the
rotor blades, and an absolute height of the blades.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18,
wherein calculating the horizontal and vertical angles of the blade
to the central optical axis of the user device further comprising:
determining, by the one or more processors, a height of the blade
based on the calculated horizontal and vertical angles of the
blade.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15,
wherein calculating blade position information further comprises
receiving, by the one or more processors, data from one or more
sensors located on the rotorcraft.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] Various embodiments of the present disclosure generally
relate performing maintenance procedures on vehicles and more
particularly, to integrate mobile devices to mandatory maintenance
procedures to effectively perform track and balance maintenance for
rotorcrafts.
BACKGROUND
[0003] One routine maintenance item facing the rotorcraft industry
is the issue of rotor track and balance (RT&B). Rotorcrafts
such as helicopters may require track and balance to be performed
on the rotors following every major rotor maintenance intervention,
blade replacement, or according to defined time intervals.
Helicopter rotor track and balance is currently a major high-cost
maintenance item. Smoothing vibrations in helicopters may involve
an extensive amount of maintenance man-hours and aircraft flight
hours. High maintenance time eats away at the life-cycle usefulness
of the aircrafts, burns high cost fuel, and detracts from
operational readiness of the aircraft. While there are various
approaches to performing RT&B, there are negatives to those
approaches. For example, equipment used to perform RT&B may be
expensive and prone to failures. In some cases, modification of
helicopter's rotor tips may be required to enable equipment
installation.
[0004] The background description provided herein is for the
purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this
section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are
not admitted to be prior art, or suggestions of the prior art, by
inclusion in this section.
SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE
[0005] According to certain aspects of the disclosure, systems and
methods are disclosed to perform track and balance maintenance
procedures on rotorcrafts using mobile devices.
[0006] In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method may be used
for rotorcraft track and balance. The method may include capturing,
by one or more processors, one or more images of at least one
rotating blades of a rotorcraft; analyzing, by the one or more
processors, the one or more images of the at least one rotating
blades of the rotorcraft to determine blade information;
determining, by the one or more processors, a location of the at
least one rotating blades in the one or more images based on the
blade information; calculating, by the one or more processors,
blade position information based on the determined location of the
at least one rotating blade and a parameter of a user device
capturing the one or more images; displaying, by the one or more
processors, the blade position information to the user device; and
displaying, by the one or more processors, instructions on one or
more adjustments to the at least one rotating blades of the
rotorcraft based on the blade position information.
[0007] According to still another aspect of the disclosure, a
computer system for rotorcraft track and balance may include a
memory having processor-readable instructions stored therein and a
processor configured to access the memory and execute the
processor-readable instructions to perform a plurality of
functions. The functions may include capture one or more images of
at least one rotating blades of a rotorcraft; analyze the one or
more images of the at least one rotating blades of the rotorcraft
to determine blade information; determine a location of the at
least one rotating blades in the one or more images based on the
blade information; calculate blade position information based on
the determined location of the at least one rotating blade and a
parameter of a user device capturing the one or more images;
display the blade position information to the user device; and
display instructions on one or more adjustments to the at least one
rotating blades of the rotorcraft based on the blade position
information.
[0008] According to another aspect of the disclosure, a
non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions for
rotorcraft track and balance. The instructions may include
capturing, by one or more processors, one or more images of at
least one rotating blades of a rotorcraft; analyzing, by the one or
more processors, the one or more images of the at least one
rotating blades of the rotorcraft to determine blade information;
determining, by the one or more processors, a location of the at
least one rotating blades in the one or more images based on the
blade information; calculating, by the one or more processors,
blade position information based on the determined location of the
at least one rotating blade and a parameter of a user device
capturing the one or more images; displaying, by the one or more
processors, the blade position information to the user device; and
displaying, by the one or more processors, instructions on one or
more adjustments to the at least one rotating blades of the
rotorcraft based on the blade position information.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various
exemplary embodiments and together with the description, serve to
explain the principles of the disclosed embodiments.
[0010] FIGS. 1A and 1B depict an exemplary environment in which
systems, methods, and other aspects of the present disclosure may
be implemented.
[0011] FIGS. 2A-2C depict exemplary rotor blade positions of a
rotorcraft, according to one or more embodiments.
[0012] FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary flowchart of a method for rotor
blade track and balance, according to one or more embodiments.
[0013] FIGS. 4A-4C depict exemplary diagrams for performing rotor
blade track and balance, according to one or more embodiments.
[0014] FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary computer device or system, in
which embodiments of the present disclosure, or portions thereof,
may be implemented
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0015] As disclosed above, rotor blade track and balance is a
mandatory maintenance procedure on rotorcrafts such as helicopters.
Track and balance procedure may require specialized equipment that
are expensive and often prone to failures. The specialized
equipment may also require modification to the rotor blades.
[0016] Therefore, a need exists for a track and balance procedure
involving mobile and/or portable devices equipped with camera and
wireless communication. The mobile and/or portable device may also
include software that performs the track and balance procedure to
align rotor blades into a common plane and monitors the balance of
the rotor blades to reduce the vibration caused by the rotors of
the helicopter.
[0017] With respect to the current disclosure, the term "track" may
refer to the actual vertical location of each blade tip while the
rotor is spinning. When the tips of each blade are all passing
through the same plane, the rotorcraft may be determined to have a
perfect track. The term "balance" may refer to both the mass
balance and the aerodynamic balance of the rotor.
[0018] The subject matter of the present description will now be
described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying
drawings, which form a part thereof, and which show, by way of
illustration, specific exemplary embodiments. An embodiment or
implementation described herein as "exemplary" is not to be
construed as preferred or advantageous, for example, over other
embodiments or implementations; rather, it is intended to reflect
or indicate that the embodiment(s) is/are "example" embodiment(s).
Subject matter can be embodied in a variety of different forms and,
therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to be
construed as not being limited to any exemplary embodiments set
forth herein; exemplary embodiments are provided merely to be
illustrative. Likewise, a reasonably broad scope for claimed or
covered subject matter is intended. Among other things, for
example, subject matter may be embodied as methods, devices,
components, or systems. Accordingly, embodiments may, for example,
take the form of hardware, software, firmware, or any combination
thereof (other than software per se). The following detailed
description is, therefore, not intended to be taken in a limiting
sense.
[0019] Throughout the specification and claims, terms may have
nuanced meanings suggested or implied in context beyond an
explicitly stated meaning. Likewise, the phrase "in one embodiment"
as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment
and the phrase "in another embodiment" as used herein does not
necessarily refer to a different embodiment. It is intended, for
example, that claimed subject matter include combinations of
exemplary embodiments in whole or in part.
[0020] The terminology used below may be interpreted in its
broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in
conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific
examples of the present disclosure. Indeed, certain terms may even
be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be
interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and
specifically defined as such in this Detailed Description section.
Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed
description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not
restrictive of the features, as claimed.
[0021] In this disclosure, the term "based on" means "based at
least in part on." The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include
plural referents unless the context dictates otherwise. The term
"exemplary" is used in the sense of "example" rather than "ideal."
The term "or" is meant to be inclusive and means either, any,
several, or all of the listed items. The terms "comprises,"
"comprising," "includes," "including," or other variations thereof,
are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion such that a
process, method, or product that comprises a list of elements does
not necessarily include only those elements, but may include other
elements not expressly listed or inherent to such a process,
method, article, or apparatus. Relative terms, such as,
"substantially" and "generally," are used to indicate a possible
variation of .+-.10% of a stated or understood value.
[0022] Referring now to the appended drawings, FIGS. 1A and 1B
depict an exemplary environment 100A and 100B in which systems,
methods, and other aspects of the present disclosure may be
implemented. Environment 100A may include a rotorcraft 101 (i.e.
helicopter) having two or more rotor blades 120A-120B, and may
represent the location of the blades at different points in time.
Environment 100A may also include a mobile device 105, vehicle data
unit 110, and one or more sensors 115. Each rotor blades 120A and
120B may have a marker 121A and 121B placed on the blades. The
markers may be stickers, or labels, or other types of material
applied to the rotor blades. The markers may also be identifying
features built into the blades. The markers may also have
reflective or fluorescent surfaces and may be placed on any
location along the blade. The vehicle data unit 110 may be a unit
that stores data related to the vehicle and may transmit and/or
receive data from the mobile device 105. The vehicle data unit 110
may be an aircraft health usage and monitoring system (HUMS). A
HUMS may record the status of critical systems and components on
helicopters for early detection of progressive defects, or
indications of defects. Data recorded by HUMS may include
parameters related to take-offs, landings, engine starts, engine,
gearboxes, shafts, fans, rotors systems, and other components. The
HUMS may also be in communication with the one or more sensors 115
distributed through the airframe and components. Sensors may
include temperature sensor, humidity sensor, vibration sensor,
accelerometer, gyroscope, and/or other sensors.
[0023] FIG. 1B depicts an exemplary mobile device 105 and
environment 100B in which systems, methods, and other aspects of
the present disclosure may be implemented. Environment 100B may
include the mobile device 105, a network 140, and a server 145. The
mobile device 105 may be connected to the server 145 via network
140. Such network may be any suitable network or combination of
networks and may support any appropriate protocol suitable for
communication of data between various components in the system
environment 100B. The network may include a public network (e.g.,
the Internet), a private network (e.g., a network within an
organization), or a combination of public and/or private
networks.
[0024] The server 145 may be one or more computers located together
or separately at a location remote from the mobile device 105. The
server 145 may receive images and/or videos captured by the mobile
device 105 of the rotor blades 120A and 120B. The server 145 may
also process the images and/or videos to determine if the rotor
blades are in perfect track and if track and balance maintenance
procedures are required.
[0025] The mobile device 105 may be operated by a user for track
and balance procedure. The mobile device 105 may also process the
images and/or videos on the device itself to determine if the rotor
blades are in perfect track and if track and balance maintenance
procedures are required. The mobile device 105 may include one or
more cameras 131, a central processing unit 132 (CPU), a memory
module 133, one or more sensors 134, and a display 135. Examples of
the mobile device may include smartphones, tablet computers,
laptops, PDAs, cameras, video cameras, etc. In one embodiment, the
mobile device 105 may be placed inside of the rotorcraft with the
rotor blades 120A and 120B and markers 121A and 121B in the field
of view of the one or more cameras 131. The mobile device 105 may
be placed in a mount and mounted inside of the rotorcraft, or the
mobile device 105 may be built in to the cockpit of the rotorcraft,
or the mobile device 105 may be handheld by a flight technician. In
another embodiment, the mobile device 105 may be placed on the
outside of the rotorcraft. When placed on the outside of the
rotorcraft, the mobile device 105 may be placed in a fixed position
and may be placed so that the rotor blades 120A and 120B and
markers 121A and 121B are in the field of view of the one or more
cameras 131. The mobile device 105 may also be positioned outside
of the rotorcraft to monitor and measure the rotor blades
displacement on multiple points along their trajectory (e.g., in
front and aft of the helicopter).
[0026] The mobile device 105 may also include sensors 134 such as
an accelerometer and/or gyroscope to assist the cameras 131 in
stabilizing images and/or videos captured of the rotor blades. The
accelerometer and/or the gyroscope may be used to estimate the
device displacement in time, and process the images and/or videos
for stabilization based on the device displacement in time. The
accelerometers may be used to derive displacement information while
gyroscopes may be used to derive angular displacement.
Stabilization may also be achieved by using external objects. If
there is a fixed external object present in the field of view of
the camera, the object may be reference since the location of the
object is known and fixed. Images and/or videos captured by the
cameras 131 may be stabilized by referencing the location of the
external object. In another embodiment, vibration damper material
may be placed between the cameras 131 and the surface of the
rotorcraft to reduce the vibration transferred from the rotorcraft
to the cameras 131. Vibration damper material may include rubber,
foam, polyurethane, and other materials. In another embodiment, the
cameras 131 may have built-in image stabilization hardware. For
example, by isolating the camera lens inside of cameras 131 in
vibration damping material.
[0027] The number of cameras 131 within the mobile device 105 may
have various configurations and serve different functions. For
example, in an embodiment where there is one camera in the mobile
device 105, then the camera may be mounted and focused only on the
rotor blades of the rotorcraft. In another embodiment, the mobile
device 105 may have two cameras. In this configuration, one of the
cameras may be focused only on the rotor blades of the rotorcraft
while the second camera may be focused on an external object for
stabilization purposes. Both cameras may also be configured to
focus on the rotor blades on the rotorcraft and utilize the
stereoscopic vision to compute the distance of the rotor blades or
other objects from the images and/or videos. The exposition of the
cameras may also be adjustable. For example, if a short exposition
is used, the captured images and/or videos of the rotor blades may
be focused and clear. If a long exposition is used, the captured
images and/or videos of the rotor blades may be blurred, but the
blade trajectory may be visible in the images and/or videos. The
frame rate of the cameras 131 may be adjustable based on the number
of markers placed on the rotor blades. Other optical properties of
the cameras 131 may also be modified or adjustable using an optical
element. For example, an additional lens, a diffraction glass, or
any other type of optical element may be attached to the camera 131
for changing the field of view or any other optical property of the
camera 131.
[0028] As a further example, a helicopter main rotor may have a
revolution per minute (RPM) rate of 250-600. If the cameras 131 can
match the frame rate of the rotor RPM multiplied by the number of
blades on the rotor, then the cameras 131 may capture every rotor
blade every time it passes in front of the camera. In this
embodiment, only one rotor blade needs to have a marker applied to
the blade. The mobile device 105 may determine the total number of
rotor blades on the rotorcraft from the captured images and/or
videos, or from another data source (e.g., server 145). The rotor
blades without markers may be references with respect to the blade
with the marker. The mobile device 105 may also compute the actual
RPM of the rotor based on the captured images and/or videos and
adjust the camera frame rate to capture all of the rotor blades in
the same position within the field of view of the cameras. If the
cameras 131 have a frame rate that is lower than the rotor RPM,
then all of the rotor blades may have a marker applied. The mobile
device 105 may be able to identify each rotor blade by the marker
captured in the images and/or videos. The mobile device 105 may
also compute the actual RPM of the rotor based on the captured
images and/or videos and adjust the camera frame rate to capture
all of the rotor blades in the same position within the field of
view of the cameras.
[0029] FIGS. 2A-2C depict exemplary rotor blade positions of a
rotorcraft, according to one or more embodiments. FIG. 2A may
depict an exemplary image 200A of blades 120A and 120B captured
above or below the blades. The exemplary image 200A may represent
blades that are out of track (e.g., not in the same plane) due to
the offset of blade 120A from blade 120B. FIG. 2B may depict an
exemplary image 200B of a 5 blade rotorcraft with blades 120A-120E
captured from the front of the rotorcraft. Reference number 201 may
depict an example of the blades 120A-120E that are in perfect track
(e.g., in the same plane). Reference number 205 may depict examples
of blades 120A-120E that are out of track (e.g., not in the same
plane).
[0030] FIG. 2C may depict exemplary blade positions on a 4 rotor
rotorcraft. Reference number 210A may represent the ideal blade
position for blades 120A-120D. The ideal blade position may
represent when the rotor blades has perfect track and in balance
with rotor angle .theta.. Reference number 210B may represent an
exemplary embodiment where one of the blades is lagging (e.g.,
blade 120A with a greater angle .theta.). Reference number 210C may
represent an exemplary embodiment where one of the blades is
leading (e.g., blade 120A with a smaller angle .theta.). When
making adjustments to the rotors blades, any adjustment may affect
the track and balance of the blades. For example, to improve the
track of the blades, the blades may be raised or lowered. Such
adjustment may increase or decrease the amount of pitch of the
blades. An increase in the pitch of the blade may lead to an
increase in the amount of drag acted on the blade. The increase in
drag may move the blade aft (e.g., lag) of its original position. A
decrease in the pitch of the blade may lead to an decrease in the
amount of drag acted on the blade. The decrease in drag may move
the blade forward (e.g., lead) of its original position. This
lead/lag effect may result in a change in the lateral balance of
the rotor disk. When the images and/or videos captured by the
mobile device 105 show blade lead and/or blade lag, as depicted by
210B and 210C, it may be an indication of blades out of track, and
a track and balance maintenance procedure may need to be
performed.
[0031] FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary flowchart of a method 300 for
rotor blade track and balance, according to one or more
embodiments. Method 300 may begin at step 301 where one or more
images of at least one rotating blades of a rotorcraft are captured
by the mobile device 105. In the present method 300, captured
images may include both pictures and/or videos. Prior to capturing
images of the at least one rotating blades, a calibration step may
be performed on the mobile device 105. The calibration step may
include gathering various data parameters of the mobile device 105
to be used in the steps of method 300. The various data parameters
may include the image resolution, the focal length of the lenses,
and any image distortion caused by the lenses of the cameras 131.
The data parameters may also include the location of the cameras
121 with respect to the rotor. For example, whether the mobile
device 105 is positioned inside or outside of the rotorcraft,
whether the mobile device 105 is attached to the frame of the
rotorcraft, or attached to the ground, or handheld by an operator.
Position of the mobile device 105 relative to the center of the
rotor may also be determined. For example, if the mobile device 105
is placed outside of the rotorcraft, the position may be calculated
from the distance to the rotorcraft and height of the device above
ground. The distances may be entered by an operator or may be
inferred from objects in the field of view of the cameras 131. If
the mobile device 105 is placed inside of the rotorcraft, the
distance may be determined by measuring the precise distance of the
mobile device from several known points in the flight deck of the
rotorcraft and the device position may be inferred from those
distances. The distance may also be determined by placing the
mobile device 105 in a known pre-determined position inside of the
flight deck. The distance may also be determined automatically by
the mobile device 105, for example, the mobile device 105 may use
the cameras 131 to calculate its distance from within the flight
deck. The angle relative to the horizontal and vertical axis of the
rotor that the mobile device 105 is mounted at may also be
determined. The accelerometer sensor within the mobile device 105
may be used to measure the acceleration of Earth, and the camera
pitch and roll angles may be calculated from the accelerometer
data. The yaw of the mobile device 105 relative to the rotorcraft
may be calculated from the trajectory of the rotor blades as
captured by the cameras 131.
[0032] The capturing of one or more images of at least one rotating
blades of step 301 may be performed upon a request of an operator,
or a request from a connected external system (e.g., vehicle data
unit 110 or server 145) or may be performed automatically by the
mobile device 105. The images may be taken as a series of images on
either slow and/or fast shutter speed of the cameras 131. Along
with the images of the at least one rotating blades, other data
such as the acceleration and gyroscopic forces acting on the mobile
device 105 may be detected by the sensors 134 and also recorded.
The mobile device 105 may also alert the operator if the device is
mis-positioned. For example, if the cameras 131 do not detect any
moving rotor blades in the field of view or in the captured images,
a notification or an alert may be displayed by the mobile device
105 to indicate that the mobile device might need to be
repositioned.
[0033] At step 302, the one or more images of the at least one
rotating blades of the rotorcraft may be analyzed to determine
blade information. As part of the analysis step, the captured
images may also be processed to minimize any errors that might have
been captured by the cameras 131. For example, any image distortion
caused by the camera lenses may be corrected, blurred rotor blades
may be sharpened, and movement of the mobile device 105 due to
vibration may be compensated.
[0034] At step 303, the location of the at least one rotating
blades in the one or more images may be determined based on the
blade information. The location of the blades may also include
determining the location of the markers 121A or 121B if applied on
to the rotor blades. Based on the location determination, at step
304 position information of the at least one rotating blades may be
calculated using the various data parameters of the mobile device
105 collected. The position information may include the horizontal
and vertical angles relative to the central optical axis of the
camera. The computed angles may then be used to calculate the
height of the blade tip using the relative position and rotation of
the mobile device 105. The computing process may be repeated for
all of the captured images until sufficient information about all
of the rotor blade tips are calculated. The position information
may be computed using various methods and/or types of information,
including, for example blade angular information, computing the
relative vertical blade distances based on the pixel size at the
distance of the blade tips, using machine learning algorithms, or
any other method or information may be used to calculate the
position information. Upon determining the height of the blade
tips, the calculated data may be transmitted to other systems for
processing of the track and balance procedure. The calculated data
may be transmitted to the vehicle data unit 110 or server 145, or
other processing systems authorized to receive the calculated
data.
[0035] At step 305, the calculated blade position information may
be displayed on the mobile device 105 operated by a user or an
operator. For example, the mobile device 105 may display the height
value of each of the rotor blade tips or may display the vertical
separation of the rotor blades relative to each other. The mobile
device 105 may also use color coding to display whether the blade
tips are in perfect track. For example, the blade tips with the
same height value may be highlighted in green while blade tips with
different height values may be highlighted in red. At step 306,
instructions on one or more adjustments to the at least one
rotating blades of the rotorcraft based on the blade position
information may be displayed on the mobile device 105 operated by
the user or operator. For example, instructions may include a
diagram of adjustments needed, or may include pictures of the
rotorcraft components that require adjustment, or may include a
video of the adjustment steps.
[0036] FIGS. 4A-4C depict exemplary diagrams for performing rotor
blade track and balance, according to one or more embodiments. FIG.
4A may depict an exemplary view of the mobile device 105 positioned
inside of the flight deck of the rotorcraft. The exemplary view may
include an instrument panel 405, a rotor blade 120A, and marker
410A place on the rotor blade 120A. FIG. 4A may also depict an
exemplary image 400A captured by the cameras 131 located on the
mobile device 105. The image 400A may include an instrumentation
panel 405, a rotor blade 120A, and marker 410A placed on the rotor
blade 120A. The image 400A may be a representation of an image
taken with a short exposition of the cameras 131 as indicated by
the captured rotor blade 120A that is sharp and in focus. FIG. 4B
may depict an exemplary image 400B captured by the cameras 131
located on the mobile device 105. The image 400B may include an
instrumentation panel 405, a rotor blade 120A, and marker 410A
placed on the rotor blade 120A. The image 400B may be a
representation of an image taken with a long exposition of the
cameras 131 as indicated by the captured rotor blade 120A that is
blurred by motion.
[0037] FIG. 4C may depict an exemplary diagram 400C for determining
the height of the rotor blades. Diagram 400C may include an
instrumentation panel 405, a mobile device 105 mounted in the
flight deck of the rotorcraft, a rotor blade 120A, and marker 410A
placed on the rotor blade 120A. The mobile device 105 may display
the captured image of the rotor blade 120A, and using the various
data parameters of the mobile device to calculate the height "x" of
the rotor blade 120A. The calculation may use the horizontal pixels
420 and vertical pixels 425 of the mobile device 105 to calculate
the horizontal angle 430 and vertical angle 435 of the rotor blade
120A to the central optical axis of the camera 131. Upon
determining the horizontal angle 430 and vertical angle 435, the
height "x" of the rotor blade 120A may be calculated and
determined.
[0038] FIG. 5 depicts a high-level functional block diagram of an
exemplary computer device or system, in which embodiments of the
present disclosure, or portions thereof, may be implemented, e.g.,
as computer-readable code. In some implementations, the mobile
device 105 may correspond to device 500. Additionally, each of the
exemplary computer servers, databases, user interfaces, modules,
and methods described above with respect to FIGS. 1-4 can be
implemented in device 500 using hardware, software, firmware,
tangible computer readable media having instructions stored
thereon, or a combination thereof and may be implemented in one or
more computer systems or other processing systems. Hardware,
software, or any combination of such may implement each of the
exemplary systems, user interfaces, and methods described above
with respect to FIGS. 1-4.
[0039] If programmable logic is used, such logic may be executed on
a commercially available processing platform or a special purpose
device. One of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that
embodiments of the disclosed subject matter can be practiced with
various computer system configurations, including multi-core
multiprocessor systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers,
computers linked or clustered with distributed functions, as well
as pervasive or miniature computers that may be embedded into
virtually any device.
[0040] For instance, at least one processor device and a memory may
be used to implement the above-described embodiments. A processor
device may be a single processor or a plurality of processors, or
combinations thereof. Processor devices may have one or more
processor "cores."
[0041] Various embodiments of the present disclosure, as described
above in the examples of FIGS. 1-4, may be implemented using device
500. After reading this description, it will become apparent to a
person skilled in the relevant art how to implement embodiments of
the present disclosure using other computer systems and/or computer
architectures. Although operations may be described as a sequential
process, some of the operations may in fact be performed in
parallel, concurrently, and/or in a distributed environment, and
with program code stored locally or remotely for access by single
or multi-processor machines. In addition, in some embodiments the
order of operations may be rearranged without departing from the
spirit of the disclosed subject matter.
[0042] As shown in FIG. 5, device 500 may include a central
processing unit (CPU) 520. CPU 520 may be any type of processor
device including, for example, any type of special purpose or a
general-purpose microprocessor device. As will be appreciated by
persons skilled in the relevant art, CPU 520 also may be a single
processor in a multi-core/multiprocessor system, such system
operating alone, or in a cluster of computing devices operating in
a cluster or server farm. CPU 520 may be connected to a data
communication infrastructure 510, for example, a bus, message
queue, network, or multi-core message-passing scheme.
[0043] Device 500 also may include a main memory 540, for example,
random access memory (RAM), and also may include a secondary memory
530. Secondary memory 530, e.g., a read-only memory (ROM), may be,
for example, a hard disk drive or a removable storage drive. Such a
removable storage drive may comprise, for example, a floppy disk
drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a flash
memory, or the like. The removable storage drive in this example
reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit in a
well-known manner. The removable storage unit may comprise a floppy
disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, etc., which is read by and
written to by the removable storage drive. As will be appreciated
by persons skilled in the relevant art, such a removable storage
unit generally includes a computer usable storage medium having
stored therein computer software and/or data.
[0044] In alternative implementations, secondary memory 530 may
include other similar means for allowing computer programs or other
instructions to be loaded into device 500. Examples of such means
may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as
that found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as
an EPROM, or PROM) and associated socket, and other removable
storage units and interfaces, which allow software and data to be
transferred from a removable storage unit to device 500.
[0045] Device 500 also may include a communications interface
("COM") 560. Communications interface 560 allows software and data
to be transferred between device 500 and external devices.
Communications interface 560 may include a modem, a network
interface (such as an Ethernet card), a communications port, a
PCMCIA slot and card, or the like. Software and data transferred
via communications interface 560 may be in the form of signals,
which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals
capable of being received by communications interface 560. These
signals may be provided to communications interface 560 via a
communications path of device 500, which may be implemented using,
for example, wire or cable, fiber optics, a phone line, a cellular
phone link, an RF link or other communications channels.
[0046] The hardware elements, operating systems and programming
languages of such equipment are conventional in nature, and it is
presumed that those skilled in the art are adequately familiar
therewith. Device 500 also may include input and output ports 550
to connect with input and output devices such as keyboards, mice,
touchscreens, monitors, displays, etc. Of course, the various
server functions may be implemented in a distributed fashion on a
number of similar platforms, to distribute the processing load.
Alternatively, the servers may be implemented by appropriate
programming of one computer hardware platform.
[0047] The systems, apparatuses, devices, and methods disclosed
herein are described in detail by way of examples and with
reference to the figures. The examples discussed herein are
examples only and are provided to assist in the explanation of the
apparatuses, devices, systems, and methods described herein. None
of the features or components shown in the drawings or discussed
below should be taken as mandatory for any specific implementation
of any of these the apparatuses, devices, systems, or methods
unless specifically designated as mandatory. For ease of reading
and clarity, certain components, modules, or methods may be
described solely in connection with a specific figure. In this
disclosure, any identification of specific techniques,
arrangements, etc. are either related to a specific example
presented or are merely a general description of such a technique,
arrangement, etc. Identifications of specific details or examples
are not intended to be, and should not be, construed as mandatory
or limiting unless specifically designated as such. Any failure to
specifically describe a combination or sub-combination of
components should not be understood as an indication that any
combination or sub-combination is not possible. It will be
appreciated that modifications to disclosed and described examples,
arrangements, configurations, components, elements, apparatuses,
devices, systems, methods, etc. can be made and may be desired for
a specific application. Also, for any methods described, regardless
of whether the method is described in conjunction with a flow
diagram, it should be understood that unless otherwise specified or
required by context, any explicit or implicit ordering of steps
performed in the execution of a method does not imply that those
steps must be performed in the order presented but instead may be
performed in a different order or in parallel.
[0048] Throughout this disclosure, references to components or
modules generally refer to items that logically can be grouped
together to perform a function or group of related functions. Like
reference numerals are generally intended to refer to the same or
similar components. Components and modules can be implemented in
software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The
term "software" is used expansively to include not only executable
code, for example machine-executable or machine-interpretable
instructions, but also data structures, data stores and computing
instructions stored in any suitable electronic format, including
firmware, and embedded software. The terms "information" and "data"
are used expansively and includes a wide variety of electronic
information, including executable code; content such as text, video
data, and audio data, among others; and various codes or flags. The
terms "information," "data," and "content" are sometimes used
interchangeably when permitted by context.
[0049] It is intended that the specification and examples be
considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the
disclosure being indicated by the following claims.
* * * * *